IDEA OF THE DAY: Exchange Contact Information Digitally So You Don't Have To Carry Business Cards

This idea: Instead of collecting (and probably losing) a pile of
business cards, Hashable lets you exchange
digital business cards instantly.

Here's how it works: After storing your contact info on Hashable,
you can send it to people you've met by entering their email
address or Twitter handle on the website or by using Hashable's
iPhone app.

The app also lets you introduce any two people in your address
book and pull up people's contact info, along with their photo,
and assigning tags such as #justmet, #meeting, etc.

For example, you can group the people you've met at the SXSW
conference under #SXSW and use that tag to find those contacts
when you get home.

Whose idea: Michael Yavonditte

Why it's quasi-brilliant: Hashable makes it
easier to manage contacts without having to keep a Rolodex. If
you pay for your own business cards, not having to print new ones
may also help you save money.

Hashable is less useful if you are not familiar with using
hashtags or the person whose contact information you are
recording does not use LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook and has
very little information online.

Even if that person does use several social networking tools,
TechCrunch pointed
out you can end up with duplicate Hashable entries from the
different sites. Depending on your comfort level with technology,
you might want to hang on to those business cards.

Hashable is a little too confusing and scattered at the moment.
When it gets more streamlined and simplified though, it could be
a great, paper-saving alternative.